Chapter 2: Shattered Bonds

Alexa stood frozen, her entire world crumbling around her. The suffocating presence loomed over her like a nightmare she could never wake up from.

Her stepmother—no, the woman who had stolen her father, destroyed her mother, and ruined her life—was standing right there, scheming once again.

Memories from years ago came crashing down like a tidal wave.

She had been only nine when Hilda was brought into their home, a woman with a child older than Alexa—her father’s daughter from an affair. It hadn’t taken long for the truth to unravel: her father had betrayed their family long before her mother’s suffering became unbearable.

Alexa's mother had already been battling depression, barely holding on in a marriage that had long since lost its meaning. But when Hilda and her daughter entered their lives, it was as if the last fragile string holding her together snapped.

Then came the accident.

Her mother, broken but still protective, had thrown Alexa from the car in a last desperate act of love—saving her, sacrificing herself.

By the time rescuers arrived, her mother’s body was nothing more than charred remains.

That year, Alexa was only ten.

And now, the same cruel mother-daughter pair that had taken everything from her were after her life once more.

How could people be so evil?

How could they do this to her?

What had she done to deserve this?

Tears streamed down her face, hot and unstoppable, her chest rising and falling in ragged breaths.

And then there was Zain.

The man she had loved since she was five.

Zain… do you know that I have loved you for so long? So deeply?

Yet, you trample on me like I am nothing.

The pain of his betrayal crushed her. She had thought she had endured the worst of life's storms, that she had finally reached the other side, only to find that what lay beyond the fog wasn’t heaven, but hell.

With clenched teeth, she turned and ran.

---

Zain's Dilemma

Zain’s dark eyes flickered with something unreadable as he observed Hilda. There was something about the way she kept referring to Alexa as a "little sheep" and "evil" that made him increasingly uneasy.

His voice turned cold. "Only use Alexa’s kidney as a last resort."

A flicker of annoyance crossed Hilda’s face, but she quickly masked it with a strained smile. "Mr. Zain, what do you mean? Didn’t you say you would marry her only if she donated her kidney? Why are you going back on your word now?"

Zain’s jaw tightened. "I’m not going back on my word. If we find another compatible kidney before the operation, I will divorce her."

Divorce.

The word echoed in his mind, unsettling him in a way he hadn’t expected.

Hilda opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Zain’s face darkened. His patience had worn thin.

"You should leave now," he said sharply. "Don’t make Alexa suspicious."

His commanding tone made Hilda stiffen.

Even though she fancied herself the future mother-in-law of Zain, the power in his voice made her uneasy. Reluctantly, she turned to leave, but a cold gleam flickered in her eyes.

That wretched girl! Even if her daughter married Zain, she would only be his second wife because of Alexa.

Infuriating!

No.

She wouldn’t let Alexa get away with this.

---

The Breaking Point

Alexa curled up in the farthest corner of her room, her body trembling uncontrollably. The weight of everything crashed down on her—the betrayal, the lies, the unending cruelty.

She couldn’t escape.

Not from them.

Not from him.

Her hands clutched her knees tightly, her nails digging into her skin as if grounding herself would make the pain lessen.

The door creaked open.

Wait.

He scanned the room, his gaze sharp. At first, he saw nothing. Then, the faint rustle of fabric caught his attention.

Whoosh—

He pulled back the curtain.

There she was, curled up on the floor, her arms wrapped around herself, her entire body shaking.

His chest tightened.

"Alexa?" His voice held a rare note of surprise. "Why are you here?"

Alexa’s head slowly lifted. Her eyes, red and brimming with fury, locked onto him.

Zain frowned. "What’s wrong with you?"

Her lips trembled, but her rage was undeniable.

"Get up," he ordered, his tone firm.

But she didn’t move.

She only stared at him—stared as if he were a stranger, as if he were the one thing she had ever truly feared.

And for the first time in his life, Zain felt something dangerously close to guilt.